Trifty Project: Diaper Prefolds and Doublers

Prefolds
Diaper prefolds are great. Some people use them for burp cloths, but I need a few more around the house as diaper soakers. If you have spare, absorbent fabric around the house, this is a great project. However, prefolds only cost about $1 each, so don't spend too much money on this project or it would be cheaper to buy! I happened to have a few extra hand-me-down receiving blankets that we don't need and since they are made out of flannel, they are great for this project.

1. Gather some absorbent fabric (microfleece, flannel, a thin terry, or cotton - think old t-shirt!) and fold it in half. Cut it to 15"x17" with the height dimension (15") on the fold. (You may need to adjust your height dimension to fit your size diapers. Just measure from the front to the back of the diaper and subtract 2 inches so it doesn't hang out. This can be your height dimension.)

2. Measure and mark 4" from the cut edge of the fabric along the opposite side of the fold. Sew along that line. You now have a tube of fabric with an extra 4" flap.

3. Turn the tube of fabric inside out and lay it flat with the sewn seam 4 1/2 inches from the right hand edge. Lay the 4 inch flap to the left so that the entire flap is now flat in the center of the prefold.

4. Stitch down the left side of the center, double thickness section.

5. Zig-zag stitch or serge the top and bottom edges of the prefold to prevent fraying.

Doubler

If you have extra fabric like I did, you can make a doubler! Use these in addition to prefolds when cloth diapering overnight.

1. Cut 4 pieces of fabric the same height as your prefold and 4 inches wide. 

2. Stack the pieces on top of each other evenly and zig-zag stitch or serge around the edges.